Structure, production and constraints of honey hunting and traditional beekeeping activities in patigi, Kwara state, Nigeria

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 College of Pure and Applied Science, Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Kwara State University, Malete,P.M.B. 1530, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria

2 Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology, Faculty of Agriculture, Ahmadu Bello University, P.M.B. 1044, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria

Abstract

Honey has continued to play an important role in nutrition and medicine; it is an ingredient in many herbal remedies and a crucial component of the bride price for many tribes in Nigeria. Several methods and structures including traditional, modern beekeeping, and age long honey hunting are employed to obtain honey for its several uses. This study aims to study honey bee farming structure; production capacity and constraints faced by both honey hunters and traditional beekeepers. A proportional random sample size of 190 bee honey farmers comprising of 110 bee honey hunters and 80 traditional beekeepers were used for the study. Data were collected through structured questionnaire and direct participation. The results of the study indicated that about 53% and 70% of the honey hunters and traditional beekeepers were within 20-30 years and 31-40 years of age respectively. The result also revealed that 86.3% of honey hunters and 87.5% of beekeepers employed smoking as mean of honey harvest. Further, 4.7litres, 4.8litres, 5.8lites and 6.2litres of honey were harvested from tree cavities, colonies on tree branches, woven grasses and calabashes respectively. Provision of necessary modern beekeeping tools, training, and credit facilities could minimize constraints faced by bee farmers and improve their welfare.

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